→ This week’s inspiring home brew recipeis from Ron Pattinson and Kristen England’s series of ‘Let’s Brew Wednesday’ posts: Tetley’s Mild, 1945. It’s interesting to see flaked barley among the ingredients — a hangover from wartime restrictions, Ron reckons. We’re definitely going to make this at some point.

But more than snacking, this audience joins Falstaff in drinking heavily, ordering up their ale and wine straight through the performance and the intermission… As Thomas Platter, a Swiss visitor to London, noted in his diary in 1599, “During the performance food and drink are carried round the audience, so that for what one cares to pay one may also have refreshment.” The distractions were many, not only from drunk patrons themselves: ale produced a hissing noise when tapped, and those opening it were shouted down by audience members annoyed by the sound.

→ Inspiring home brew recipe of the week: Andy Parker’s Beetroot Sorachi Ace Saison, which sounds like more of a Satanic Majesty’s Request of a beer than a Beggar’s Banquet. If you’re going to brew crazy beer, make it really crazy, right?

A long read

The Voice of America website has a long article on craft brewing in South Africa (via @beerhasahistory on Twitter). If you can ignore its offhand attempts to define craft beer, and the assumption that ‘craft beer’ is necessarily ‘good’, it’s an interesting glimpse into yet another burgeoning brewing scene. Highlight? This Afrikaans idiom:

“I think people think I’m a spoilt brat. I think that’s what a big part of it comes down to. You know: ‘Daddy gave her a brewery; sy’t met haar gat in die botter geval…’” [She fell with her bottom in the butter]